After a patient's teeth have been properly aligned by orthodontic treatment, it is the usual practice to fit a retainer into the mouth of the patient which serves to hold the teeth in their proper positions to which they have been shifted by the orthodontic treatment, and prevent the teeth from moving back to their original positions prior to the orthodontic treatment.
Such retainers are usually worn for prolonged periods. The prior art retainers for the most part are a combination of plastic and attached metal wires. They impede speech, and are often unsightly constituting a source of embarrassment for the wearer.
The retainer of the present invention is, for the most part, invisible and comfortable to wear. The labial member of the retainer is not cemented to the arch and can be removed. Because the lingual member is very thin it can be worn alone by the patient during the daytime without interferring with the patient's speech, and it also is invisible. During the evening hours, the labial portion may be attached to prevent rotations of the teeth that have been straightened.